Last edit by: beckoa
ATTENDEES
Handle --- Arrival ---- Departure ---- Hotel
Handle --- Arrival ---- Departure ---- Hotel
- beckoa+1 - 3/29 7C 1802 TPE-OKA -- 4/3 JL2084 OKA-ITM -- DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Naha
- krazykanuck - 3/28 NH479 HND-OKA -- 4/2 NH464 OKA-HND -- DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Naha
- TravelKane - Mar 28 JL3 JFK>NRT * Mar 29 NH 2159 NRT>OKA * DoubleTree by Hilton Naha * Apr 3 CI121 OKA>TPE
- kirkwoodj ---- 3/29 NH475 HND-OKA ---- 4/1 NH460 OKA-HND ---- DoubleTree by Hilton Naha
- restlessinRNO - 3/29 IT230 TPE-OKA -- 4/1 BC552 OKA-NGO -- DoubleTree by Hilton Naha
- nomadic.relief - 3/30 BR112 TPE-OKA -- 4/2 MM925 OKA-TPE -- Almont Hotel
- ellyse - 3/29 HO1331 PVG-OKA — 4/2 HO1332 OKA-PVG — Guesthouse Umikaji
- ellyse+1 - 3/29 MU287 PVG-OKA — 4/2 MU288 OKA-PVG — Guesthouse Umikaji
- Sykes - 3/24 OZ172 ICN-OKA — 4/2 OZ171 OKA-ICN — Hyatt Regency Naha
- oliver2002 -Mar 29 CA831 PEK-OKA - April 1 NH994 OKA HND - Sheraton Sunmarina
- NewbieRunner - 3/28 NH473 HND-OKA - 4/1 NH994 OKA-HND - DoubleTree Shuri Castle 3/28-29 DoubleTree Naha 3/29-4/1
- nme7 - 3/29 GK305 NRT-OKA - 4/1 GK312 OKA-NRT -- DoubleTree by Hilton Naha
- Aeolus - 3/28 JL921 HND-OKA -- 4/1 JTA052 OKA-FUK -- DT by Hilton Naha (28-30), DT Shuri Castle (3/30-4/1)
- Lennart - 3/28 NH471 HND-OKA -- 3/31 NU617 OKA-ISG -- Sheraton Sunmarina
- Lennart+1 - 3/28 NH471 HND-OKA -- 3/31 NU617 OKA-ISG -- Sheraton Sunmarina
- armagebedar - 3/28 JL HND-OKA -- 4/1 JL OKA-HND -- Hyatt Regency Naha
- BigRedBears - 3/28 NH1213 FUK-OKA -- 4/1 NH1200 OKA-FUK -- DT Naha (3/28-3/31), Crowne Plaza Naha (3/32-4/1)
Japan Do #6 - Naha (Okinawa) - March 29-31 2018
#121
Join Date: Jul 2010
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Also, any comments on the itineraries I posted earlier? I did watch Hacksaw Ridge but I’m not sure where it actually is. The WW2 sites I mentioned were the 3 that I posted on the Day B itinerary.
#122
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Okinawa
Posts: 2,611
I did post a list of restaurants (and one bar) above, do you want me to post them along with the Tabelog links so that you can look them up?
Also, any comments on the itineraries I posted earlier? I did watch Hacksaw Ridge but I’m not sure where it actually is. The WW2 sites I mentioned were the 3 that I posted on the Day B itinerary.
#123
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I did see your list and it looks great. I would possibly lean away from the kaiseki place with a 10-20,000 yen per person charge. I was just hoping for some other people to chime in with what might sound good. I will look more closely at your list tonight when I get home. Your itineraries were spectacular and it wore me out just thinking about them. Hacksaw ridge is very close to Naha. The other WW2 sites are a bit spread out, but you hit all of the big ones in your Day B itinerary.
P.S. If we do hire a bus to do my Day B itinerary, we could fit in JEF for a lunch stop after the Underground HQ, there’s one a bit to its southwest
#124
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I've tried everything and am giving up on trying to get to HKG. Taking the same flight home using JL miles. Hopefully. SPG xfers to JL take a long time.
#125
Join Date: Jul 2010
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Sorry here is the long promised post. I think this DO is going to be great. I am still working on the final location for the Friday night, DO dinner.
Meet and greet drinks venue for Thursday evening:
- I recommend "The Bar" at the Hyatt Regency (https://naha.regency.hyatt.com/en/ho...g/the-bar.html) it's very centrally located and within walking distance to where many will stay or a short monorail ride. There are plenty of other venues in the area if this doesn't agree with everyone. An alternate would be Taste of Okinawa (https://tabelog.com/en/okinawa/A4701/A470101/47018843/) which is just around the corner but a little harder to find and concentrates more on beer than other spirits.
Bar Waka 和香
https://tabelog.com/okinawa/A4701/A470101/47011343/
1830-late (closed Sun), Miebashi (294m)
Bar, good original awamori cocktails, all smoking, cash only
Activities/visits for Friday (usually half day):
- I would suggest Tomari Fish Market and Naminoue Shrine - both are relatively close together and Naminoue has a significant amount to see and do within walking distance, the fish market could also be done early Saturday for anyone interested. The water should be fairly warm by April so we can hit the beach at Naminoue also.
- An alternate would be to take a bus (tickets are readily available for 1-infinate PAX) from Naha to the famous Churaumi Aquarium which I believe also involves some stops in the northern part of the island.
Any post dinner/visit drinks excluding clear liquors:
- Tons of options, one of the best is near Kokuksai Street/Hyatt Regency which is the yatai area https://goo.gl/maps/59MbM2bzuem
I have plenty of other suggestions as well. Is anyone interested in renting a bus to take us around to different locations? Again Okinawa does not have the public transportation system that the rest of Japan enjoys. I am looking forward to showing off the island I've made home for the last 15 years. Another day trip option for Saturday or Sunday is to visit one of the outer islands which may involve humpback whale watching as they are in the area from January-March and we might just be able to catch them in April.
Here’s a list of possible dinner places from what I posted earlier, now with links to Tabelog (the Japanese version, if you want them in English instead I can adjust the links).
Ryukyu Mie 美栄
https://tabelog.com/okinawa/A4701/A470101/47002034/
??????? ???????
1200-1400/1800-2200 (closed Sun), Kencho-mae (136m)
Okinawa palace cuisine, reservation only, all smoking, cash only
Matsumoto Agu Shabu-shabu Honten まつもと 本店
https://tabelog.com/okinawa/A4701/A470101/47017093/
1700-2300, Kencho-mae (260m)
Agu pork shabu-shabu, reservation recommended, all smoking
Urizun うりずん
https://tabelog.com/okinawa/A4701/A470101/47000019/
???????????Web???
1700-0000, Asato (80m)
Okinawa cuisine, reservation recommended, non-smoking section
Roins 沖縄 焼肉 ロインズ
https://tabelog.com/okinawa/A4701/A470101/47012281/
https://roins-okinawa.com
1700-0000 (till 0500 on Fri/Sat), Kencho-mae (254m)
Ishigaki beef yakiniku, reservation recommended, all smoking, 5% service charge
#126
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So it looks like I need to book a flight TPE-OKA.
Would you fly IT or MM? Yes both are LCC's but a third the price of "the big guys". Starting in HKG, but have a tag to TPE as it seems most HKG-TPE are either sold out, or ridiculously expensive. This would be on Thursday the 29th.
Seems this trip should be a go.
Would you fly IT or MM? Yes both are LCC's but a third the price of "the big guys". Starting in HKG, but have a tag to TPE as it seems most HKG-TPE are either sold out, or ridiculously expensive. This would be on Thursday the 29th.
Seems this trip should be a go.
#127
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Shanghai (PVG/SHA)
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So it looks like I need to book a flight TPE-OKA.
Would you fly IT or MM? Yes both are LCC's but a third the price of "the big guys". Starting in HKG, but have a tag to TPE as it seems most HKG-TPE are either sold out, or ridiculously expensive. This would be on Thursday the 29th.
Seems this trip should be a go.
Would you fly IT or MM? Yes both are LCC's but a third the price of "the big guys". Starting in HKG, but have a tag to TPE as it seems most HKG-TPE are either sold out, or ridiculously expensive. This would be on Thursday the 29th.
Seems this trip should be a go.
I was wondering if IT was Irtysh Airlines or Kingfisher Airlines, since neither of these two sound like a possibility on this route... then I simply did a search on Ctrip and found that IT is Tigerair Taiwan!
MM is in the LCC terminal at OKA so you’ll have to take an extra shuttle bus, and MM is also stricter (very strict, in fact) on luggage weight and size, both carry-on and check-in. Based on these 2, I would pick IT over MM, assuming schedule and price are comparable. MM also seems to have extremely thin seats.
Just to clarify, I haven’t taken either airline, but these are observations from reasonably extensive reading of Taiwanese travel blogs and forum posts.
P.S. The cheapest HKG-OKA on 29/3 is actually on CI going through TPE. Still roughly 3 times the price of MM or IT though.
Last edited by ellyse; Feb 24, 2018 at 5:07 am
#128
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Okinawa
Posts: 2,611
So it looks like I need to book a flight TPE-OKA.
Would you fly IT or MM? Yes both are LCC's but a third the price of "the big guys". Starting in HKG, but have a tag to TPE as it seems most HKG-TPE are either sold out, or ridiculously expensive. This would be on Thursday the 29th.
Seems this trip should be a go.
Would you fly IT or MM? Yes both are LCC's but a third the price of "the big guys". Starting in HKG, but have a tag to TPE as it seems most HKG-TPE are either sold out, or ridiculously expensive. This would be on Thursday the 29th.
Seems this trip should be a go.
#129
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Haha that echoes what I read on the Taiwanese sites, OKA’s LCC Terminal is a “tinhouse shed”. It’s used only by MM and JW. IT flies into the main international terminal.
#130
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: YVR
Posts: 2,120
Oh dear, guess I'll get to report back on the "tinhouse shed" on the return, as I have the OKA-TPE leg with MM! Seems beckoa will be arriving, so less disappointment for him ... and if at the start, the Costco shopping might not yet have decimated the baggage allowances.
I picked Peach largely because it was a later flight, allowing me to possibly see a bit more of Naha on Monday. Extra shuttle bus cuts into that. Oh well. Definitely thankful I "opted up" to guarantee a window seat (also allowing one checked bag, giving more wiggle room if weight above their limit).
For dinner/meal options, I am open to pretty much any food, but if it is all smoking, I am 100% okay with seeking out my own dinner and possibly catching up later.
I picked Peach largely because it was a later flight, allowing me to possibly see a bit more of Naha on Monday. Extra shuttle bus cuts into that. Oh well. Definitely thankful I "opted up" to guarantee a window seat (also allowing one checked bag, giving more wiggle room if weight above their limit).
For dinner/meal options, I am open to pretty much any food, but if it is all smoking, I am 100% okay with seeking out my own dinner and possibly catching up later.
#131
Join Date: Jul 2010
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I hate smoking with a vengeance too! “All smoking” in these cases, if it’s anything like my experiences with restaurants in other parts of Japan, simply means that they aren’t non-smoking and probably don’t have a separate non-smoking area. TBH if it’s a yakiniku (or other kind of BBQ) place you probably won’t smell any or much smoke over the smell of grilling food. Other kinds of restaurants, probably not much worse than sitting in the outdoor smoking section of a cafe or bistro in Western countries. So far I’ve never really encountered somewhere where it was so smoky I didn’t even want to patronise it, luckily.
#132
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What time are you leaving on Monday? I haven't yet booked my HND-OKA flights but will do that when I get back to the states in a couple days. Going to try to book NH464 which departs OKA at 12:10pm. Unfortunately I don't see much after that in award space.
Last edited by krazykanuck; Feb 25, 2018 at 5:43 pm
#133
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Okinawa
Posts: 2,611
Re bar for Thu drinks, I think Bar Waka looks to be closer both to the DT and the monorail than either of the other 2 choices. However of course I’m unaware if it may not suitable for a large group gathering. Personally I prefer to go to more “local” places so a bar in a major international hotel chain doesn’t sound as appealing, unless maybe it comes with a wonderful view?
Bar Waka 和香
https://tabelog.com/okinawa/A4701/A470101/47011343/
1830-late (closed Sun), Miebashi (294m)
Bar, good original awamori cocktails, all smoking, cash only
Bar Waka 和香
https://tabelog.com/okinawa/A4701/A470101/47011343/
1830-late (closed Sun), Miebashi (294m)
Bar, good original awamori cocktails, all smoking, cash only
Not everyone is staying at the DT and in the past we have always met at boring international hotel bars, some with good views, and then diversified the night from there. We need somewhere fairly central, DT is a bit out of central, and unintimidating for people to meet at. I'd also suggest skipping places with otoshi, but I will try and check out Waka. There are a million good places to drink and local places tend to be mixed with tourist traps all over. As mentioned up thread several people would like to avoid smoking, so we need to find a non-smoking place to start the night.
Interested in the fish market (a bit of a walk from the nearest monorail, unless we are hiring a bus and making this the first stop of the day) but not the shrine nor the beach. From what I see, there’s a flyover bridge right across in front of the beach which kills any view you have (other than of itself).
#134
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I am in agreement with "no smoking" for dining. Unless they are smoking meats
#135
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Oh dear, guess I'll get to report back on the "tinhouse shed" on the return, as I have the OKA-TPE leg with MM! Seems beckoa will be arriving, so less disappointment for him ... and if at the start, the Costco shopping might not yet have decimated the baggage allowances.
I picked Peach largely because it was a later flight, allowing me to possibly see a bit more of Naha on Monday. Extra shuttle bus cuts into that. Oh well. Definitely thankful I "opted up" to guarantee a window seat (also allowing one checked bag, giving more wiggle room if weight above their limit).
I picked Peach largely because it was a later flight, allowing me to possibly see a bit more of Naha on Monday. Extra shuttle bus cuts into that. Oh well. Definitely thankful I "opted up" to guarantee a window seat (also allowing one checked bag, giving more wiggle room if weight above their limit).
So does IT or MM have a better departure terminal ex-TPE? IE one with access to a PP lounge?